Acting

In 2010, Wes returned to the stage after a 12-year hiatus and received rave reviews for his role as Jerry in the Boxfest Detroit production of “SunTrust,” the critically acclaimed one act written by Linda Curatolo. Wes credits this performance to the generous and unflinching support of his stage partner, Debra Rockey, and his acting coach, Lisa Melinn.

“LoriGoe Perez has staged a heart-wrenching tale that elicited many vocal responses from the audience – aimed primarily at actor Wesley Whittaker who creates one of the most despicable and easy-to-hate characters I’ve seen in ages, Jerry, the father of Cory (Patrick Hanley) and husband of Nancy (Debra Rockey). It’s a superb performance, perfectly underplayed to maximize its power and effect. “

Donald V. Calamia – Encore Michigan

Wes has also appeared in three independent, full length motion pictures directed by the prodigious and talented Miko Klubz.

Four Walls – We Are Legion – Holy Water

Wes has been involved in acting since early childhood, appearing in Christmas pageants at church. The acting bug really bit him when he received a standing ovation at age 8 for his portrayal of the Damsel in Distress in a play put on by the local Cub Scout organization. He was very active in theatre during his high school years under the tutelage of Dempsey Scott and Gina Rossi.

As a member of the Torrejon Little Theatre, Wesley’s portrayal of Lyle Britten in the production of James Baldwin’s “Blues for Mister Charlie” garnered him a USAFE Best Actor nomination in 1975. Wes credited his performance to the brilliant direction of Ron Steed and his acting coach, Margaret Burns.

Following his military service, Wes was accepted into the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University; however, he chose instead to go to California to pursue a film career. Despite that detour, he has had some memorable turns on stage as Sir Thomas More in the John Wesley College production of “A Man for All Seasons,” as Papa Zacharias in the New Vic Theatre production of “Summer and Smoke” and as Squeegee in the Faith Theatre Company production of “The Gift Exchange,” a three-act Christmas musical comedy he co-wrote and produced with Wayne Ruff.

During the latter half of the 1980s, Wes studied standup comedy with famed Atlanta comedian Jerry Farber. With Farber’s encouragement, Wes performed his cast of whacky characters in several venues around Atlanta to much laughter and applause.